If you woke up in Allentown, Bethlehem or Easton early this morning to peek at the thermometer, you saw record-breaking lows.

The temperature in the Lehigh Valley dipped to -8 degrees at the official measuring station at Lehigh Valley International Airport.

North of the valley, in the Poconos, the 5 a.m. temperature dropped to 15 below zero.

More distressing to the winter-weary is the fairly unanimous forecast that, with the possible exception of one hour Wednesday afternoon, the region won't break out of the freeze for the rest of the week.

The region's record low for a Feb. 24 was 4 degrees above zero, registered in 1948. That record was broken at 2 a.m. today, when the temperature dropped to 1 below.

The extended forecast for the Lehigh Valley, according to the National Weather Service: